Seeing Double
by PyroAkuma
Summary: Twin siblings, children of Achilles, go to Troy seeking glory and adventure, following in the footsteps of a father that doesn't even know they exist.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is my first Troy fic, I hope you like it. If you don't, please keep it to yourself ;).

**Seeing Double**

Chapter 1

"Hurry up! I don't want to miss the war because you can't bother to remember where you leave your helmet!" Sixteen-year-old Alexander urged, impatiently brushing a strand of blond hair out of his eyes. "Why didn't you put it with everything else last night?"

"Because I got it back from the smith _after_ I got everything else together, and then I set it down somewhere." His twin replied, as though that was a perfectly acceptable explaination. "I just can't recall where _somewhere_ is."

Alexander sighed and set his pack on the ground. If they were going to make it before the ships sailed, he was going to have to help in this search. It only took a moment before he found the missing helmet, lying beneath one of his sibling's discarded tunics. Handing it over, he shouldered his pack and began to hastily jog toward the harbor.

"Alexander, wait! I haven't come up with a name yet!"

He turned sharply and glared at his sister. "What do you mean? You've had days to think of something, Alexandra!"

"Well, it would be easy if Mother hadn't given us practically the same name." She explained, "It's hard to think of something completely new, nothing sounds right."

"Asaeus. That's your name." Alexander stated, lifting a hand before she could argue. "There's no time for you to think of something that 'sounds right'. Asaeus is a perfectly good name. Get used to it quick, because if you slip up and use Alexandra, you'll be seeing Mother all too soon."

Alexandra nodded, her sea-green eyes serious for once. She understood the dangers of what she was about to do, but there was no way she was letting her brother go off to Troy without her. She was as good a fighter as he was, almost.

The pair reached the harbor with plenty of time to spare, informed one of the men in charge of their names, age, and weapons experience, and were assigned to a boat. As they were boarding, someone lost control of a pair of chariot horses that were refusing to board a ship. The black stallions were rearing up, knocking more than one soldier into the sea.

Without thinking, the twins both ran toward the scene, pushing past the growing crowd of onlookers. Alexandra quickly quieted them down with soothing words, until they were calm enough to let Alexander lead them slowly onto the ship. Cheers greeted them at their success, and a dark-haired, regal looking man approached them.

"I'm impressed, there are few men who could have handled those horses with such skill." He complimented. "What are your names?"

"I am Alexander, Milord, and this is my twin brother, Asaeus." Alexander bowed, pulling his sister with him. "We were raised around horses, our grandfather bred them, that's how we knew what to do."

"Well, Alexander and Asaeus, I wonder if you would be willing to come fight for me. I could use two strong lads with your talents." The man offered with a smile. "Oh, and forgive my poor manners, I am Odysseus, Lord of Ithaca."

"Odysseus." Alexander breathed in awe; "It would be an honor to serve you."

"Good, then it's settled." He declared. "Now climb aboard, we sail for Troy within the hour."

-

A/N: Well, that was Chapter 1. Let me know if it was any good. Chapter 2 should be up soon, and I promise it will be longer. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is Chapter 2, I hope you like it. Thank you to those who reviewed! Oh, and I don't own Troy, but the twins are mine!

**Seeing Double**

Chapter 2

Alexander roamed about the ship, stepping over packs and sleeping figures, in an attempt to locate his sister. He finally found her at the bow, arms raised to the sky, her mouth moving silently. He quietly went over and sat beside her, waiting for her to finish. When Alexandra opened her eyes, she was smiling.

"Who where you praying to?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Hermes. Asking him for a safe journey." She was staring into space beyond the boat as she spoke, as though someone was there that Alexander couldn't see. "He's here, watching over me. I'm ready now, Alexander. I know we can do this."

"Never forget, we are the children of a great warrior. Even if we never met our father, his blood still runs in our veins. Of course we can do this." Alexander clapped his hand on his sister's shoulder. "It does help, though, to know that at least one of the gods is on our side. Does the Prince of Tricksters approve of you entering this war?"

"I think he's proud of me, for pulling this off." Alexandra chuckled, "He always said I could convince anyone of anything, no matter how obscure. I hope he was right."

The siblings spent most of the journey to Troy tending to Odysseus' high-strung stallions. The horses had never been on a ship before, and required a lot of comforting to keep them from panicking and damaging anything. It was also important that they get used to their new keepers. By the time they landed, the twins wanted to be sure that the horses wold know and trust them even in battle.

One morning, after countless days of travel, they were awoken by the shout of "Land!" Everyone was swarming about the ship, pulling on armor and taking their places at the oars. The twins rowed as hard as any of the others, earning the grudging respect of some that had thought them too young to be of any use. A few, however, were still not convinced.

"We'll see how strong you are when the killing starts." One man behind them growled, "I doubt either of you pups has ever seen a man die, let alone killed anyone."

"Ignore him." Alexandra whispered, feeling her brother tense beside her. "We will get the chance to prove ourselves all too soon."

As they rowed, the soldiers noticed one ship that was far ahead of the rest. As Odysseus walked among them, he paused before his two young charges.

"That is Achilles' ship." He informed them, "His Myrmidons are the best warriors in Greece, I wouldn't be surprised if they took the beach by themselves."

"There he is." Alexander muttered after Odysseus had passed. "Our glorious father, who has no idea that his two bastard children follow him into battle. I wonder, would he even care if he knew?"

"Now isn't the time to dwell on it, we're almost there."

Though their ship was among the first to arrive, the battle was well under way by the time they beached. The twins drew their swords with the rest of the men, and leapt to the beach amid a volley of arrows. One man went down right in front of Alexandra, an arrow through his left eye. She stared in horror for a moment before her brother grabbed the dead man's shield and pulled her behind it.

"Let's go, Asaeus, together now."

They moved as one into the fray, each watching the other's back. Alexander was the first to make a kill, catching a Trojan soldier, who had been gloating over a victory, off guard. He stabbed the man in the stomach, putting all his weight behind the blow. The soldier gaped at him in surprise for several long seconds, before slumping to the ground. Alexander tugged his weapon free, wiping the blade clean on the dead man's tunic. When he turned to face his sister, his sea-green eyes were hard. The last of his childhood innocence had died with the soldier in front of him.

Soon afterward, they entered the worst of the fighting and were separated. Alexandra waded through a sea of dead and wounded soldiers, appearing an easy target because of her small size and lack of shield. Within seconds she found herself face-to-chest with a leering Trojan soldier whose sword seemed intent on separating her head from her shoulders. Using her speed and size to her advantage, she dropped to the ground and rolled between his legs. Before he could turn around, her sword had severed his spine.

The battle raged on for hours, with each side suffering losses. Eventually, the Trojans retreated to their high-walled city, and the beach belonged to the Greeks. After several minutes of worried searching, Alexandra found her brother, who had a shallow cut above his right eyebrow, but was otherwise unharmed. She had a puncture wound in her left side, where an arrow had made it through her armor, but it wasn't bleeding anymore, so she ignored it for the moment.

The siblings embraced, each overcome with joy that the other was all right. They were quite a sight, two mirror images covered in sweat and blood, but neither paid it any heed. They were oblivious to everything around them until Odysseus, who had been watching them for several moments, spoke up.

"There you two are. I thought you must be dead, since the fighting is over and no one seems to be tending the horses." He admonished sternly, hiding his own joy that the two were alive and well. He had become quite attached to them during their journey over. "Run along now, and from now on remember that your duties come first. We'll celebrate tonight."

-

A/N: Please review and tell me how I did, Chapter 3 should be up next weekend unless I have more spare time this week than I had last week.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated until now, I've been grounded from the computer and can only work on it a little at a time in school. Thank you so much for all of the great reviews, you guys keep me going!

**Seeing Double**

Chapter 3

The tempting smells from the cooking fires drifted to where the twins were working, teasing their noses and causing their stomachs to rumble. They were attempting to quickly erect their small tent so that they could join in the celebration, but the faster they tried to work, the more trouble they had. Alexandra was furiously untying the many knots that had somehow formed in their rope, while Alexander was trying to convince the support poles that they should stay upright, even in the soft sand of the beach.

Everyone else was finished setting up, but that was because everyone else didn't have to first see to the housing, feeding, and grooming of a pair of uncooperative stallions. It had drained the two of them of their last stores of energy, making the task of setting up their tent seem impossible.

"You look like you could use some help." A blonde-haired boy who didn't look to be much older than them observed with a small smile. "Never set up a tent before?"

"It's not as easy as it looks." Alexander admitted, giving up and letting the pole in his hands fall to the sand. "But we can manage. I don't want to keep you from the celebration."

The boy looked over his shoulder toward the noise coming from the center of the camp, then turned back to the twins. "I doubt I would enjoy myself much over there. I'll help you, and then we can all go."

"Thank you, we greatly appreciate it." Alexandra spoke before her brother could argue. "I'm Asaeus, and this is my brother, Alexander."

"My name is Patroclus, I'm honored to meet you."

The three of them got to work, and under Patroclus' guidance managed to set the tent up in only a few minutes. After placing their few possessions inside and washing themselves up, the twins were ready to join the party. But when Patroclus and they arrived, they found most of the soldiers swapping stories of previous battles and victories, something they couldn't relate to. They ended up taking their food down the beach where they could talk alone.

"So, Patroclus, what made you decide to come to Troy?" Alexandra asked, taking a seat between her brother and their new companion.

"I came with my cousin and his men, but now it seems I have come for nothing because he won't allow me to fight." Anger crept into his voice as he continued. "He treats me like a child when I am older than the two of you, and have been training with him for years."

Alexandra looked to her brother, not knowing how to respond. "If you want to fight so badly, why not join under another commander?" Alexander queried. "I'm sure there are many who would have you."

"I couldn't do that." Patroclus sighed, "It would be a betrayal to my cousin. He has done so much for me in the past; I cannot go against his wishes now."

"He must be a great man to have earned such loyalty from you." Alexandra observed in an attempt to switch the subject. "Who is your cousin? Would we know of him?"

"Yes, you would." Pride was evident in Patroclus' voice. "He is Achilles, leader of the Myrmidons, the greatest fighters in all of the world."

The twins stared at him in stunned silence for several long seconds, until Alexandra recovered her composure enough to speak.

"You must be honored to be related to such a great warrior, and to have been trained by him." She did her best to sound awed, as she knew most would be.

"He did more than train me, he has been a father to me since my parents died. I owe him my loyalty at the very least."

"We have to go, Asaeus." Alexander spoke suddenly in a clipped tone. "The horses need to be watered before we turn in for the night." Alexandra knew it was a lie, but she also knew that her brother wouldn't be able to control his anger for much longer.

"He's right, it's time for us to say goodnight."

"I should be getting back to camp as well." Patroclus agreed, "Perhaps we will get the chance to speak again soon."

"It's a big camp." Alexander stated, turning to leave. "We may never see each other."

"Goodnight Patroclus, we'll see you soon." Alexandra promised, following her brother's retreating form. When they were out of earshot, she pulled him to a stop. "I know you're upset, but you need to learn to control your anger! What are you going to do if we meet Achilles himself?"

"How can you be so calm, dear sister, when our father abandoned us then turned around and cared for his cousin like he was a son?" Alexander whispered harshly, his eyes accusing.

"I can be calm because in my heart I believe that Achilles never knew of our existence, and therefore never had the chance to be a father to us. If he knew, perhaps things would have been different, but that is the past. We were fine without him, and we still are, so why can't you let the past die?" Alexandra kept her voice calm, in an attempt to in turn calm her brother. "Even if you cannot, don't take it out on Patroclus. None of this is his fault."

"You're right, as usual. I'm sorry I got so angry." Alexander put an arm around his sister's shoulder and pulled her close. They walked back to their tent in comfortable silence, until a thought struck Alexander. "You were quick to come to Patroclus' defense, even though we hardly know him. Why is that, Alexandra?"

"You shouldn't call me that, even when we are alone." She admonished shortly, and then stepped into the tent without another word.

"I just know this isn't going to end well." Alexander observed helplessly to the night before following his sister inside.

A/N: I'm still grounded, so I can't promise that the next chapter will be up soon, but it will be coming. (Hint: the more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to write.)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry again for the long time between updates. A big thank you to all my reviewers, you guys are great!

Seeing Double

Chapter 4

"Wake up my young charges, it is time to greet the day!" Odysseus called cheerfully, poking his head into the twins' tent. "Hurry to finish your chores, then report back to me."

Alexandra sat up with a groan, and then fell back onto her pillow. Her body felt like one big bruise. Moving slowly this time, she dragged herself back into a sitting position and leaned over to shake her brother's shoulder.

"Alexander, I know you're awake! Get up!" She continued to shake him until he groggily pushed her hand away.

"I'm working on it, but I can't get my muscles to cooperate." He rolled onto his side so that he faced her. "It's good that we are not under attack, I couldn't lift a knife right now, let alone a sword."

"Well, you're going to have to lift buckets full of water and feed in a few minutes, so I recommend getting up." Alexandra was now on her feet, however unsteadily, and had already begun to loosen up. She gave her brother a kick to get him going, knowing that if she didn't, he would be in bed for another half hour or more.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, sitting up in surprise. His exclamation quickly turned into a moan of pain. "You tricked me."

"It got you up, didn't it?" She gave him a sly grin. "I trick everyone, Alexander, why should you be any different?"

Too tired to start an argument, Alexander pulled a clean tunic on over his head and stepped outside the tent. His sister followed, grabbing a handful of fruit on her way out and handing some of it to him. They ate while walking to the tent that housed the horses, hoping the food would give them enough energy to complete their tasks.

An hour, one spilled bucket of water, and a few bruised toes later, they made their way to Odysseus' tent. He was standing outside, waiting for them.

"What took you? Don't tell me you are sore from the little skirmish yesterday." He laughed at the glares that remark evoked from both of them. "I'm afraid you will be feeling much worse when I'm through with you. It's time you two had a bit more instruction in the art of fighting. I saw your technique yesterday, and while it works well enough, you have a long way to go if you want to survive some of Troy's better warriors."

He handed each of them a sword and led them to an empty stretch of beach. The terrain was more rock than sand, and the twins knew right away that even simple sparring practice would be more difficult than usual.

"I've enlisted the help of a friend for today's practice." Odysseus explained. "We will begin as soon as he arrives."

* * *

A/N: This is really short, I know. I have serious writers block, so if anyone has suggestions for me, I would love to hear them. If nothing else, let me know whom you think the "friend" that Odysseus mentioned should be. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey look, it's chapter 5! Reviewers, I can't thank you enough for your great comments, and I'm taking your suggestions to heart. Keep them coming!

**Seeing Double**

Chapter 5

"Your friend must have overslept, My Lord." Alexander commented after they had waited for some time.

"He keeps his own schedule." Odysseus answered, "He will be here, eventually. Until then, the two of you can spar with each other."

"Just had to open your mouth, didn't you Alexander?" Alexandra grumbled as they took their places opposite one another. "You interrupted a very pleasant nap, and now I'm going to have to make you pay."

"Enough talk, Asaeus, let's begin." Alexander's eyes narrowed in concentration as he made the first move, charging his sister head on, then darting to the right at the last second as he aimed his sword at her ribs.

Alexandra had predicted his move and was quick enough to block it. Their blades locked, and they stood at a stalemate for a few seconds before Alexander pushed her back and attacked again. She blocked him as before.

They continued back-and-forth, neither gaining the upper hand, until both were exhausted. Alexandra was the first to lose concentration. She tripped over a rock, and before she could regain her balance Alexander had the blunted tip of his practice sword pressed to her throat.

"I win." He declared with a smirk before helping her to her feet.

"This time." She retorted.

The twins turned to face Odysseus, and both froze when they saw that he was not alone. It seemed his friend had arrived while they were engrossed in their fight. That friend was Achilles.

"Not bad." The great warrior commented, speaking to both of them. "But it lasted to long. You can't afford to focus on one fight for that long during a battle, someone will kill you while your attention is elsewhere."

"Alexander, Asaeus, allow me to introduce an old friend to you, this is Achilles." Odysseus' introduction was merely a formality, for everyone knew Achilles. "He has agreed to help teach you, which is a privilege granted to very few."

"We are honored, My Lord." Alexandra said with a bow. Her brother stiffly mimicked her gesture. She was glad to see that he managed to keep his anger hidden, at least to those who didn't know him. She could see it in his sea-green eyes, eyes that mirrored those of the man his anger was directed at.

Achilles acknowledged them with a nod before turning to speak to Odysseus privately. The twins could not hear what was said, but the men were smiling as they parted and drew their own practice blades. Odysseus moved opposite Alexandra, and Achilles took his place before Alexander. They stood relaxed, swords dangling limply from their hands, their eyes daring the twins to attack.

Without warning, Alexander moved. He seemed almost a blur, his anger fueling his already inhuman speed. Alexandra thought she even saw a look of surprise cross Achilles' face, if just for an instant, before he reacted with an equal if not greater speed. Within seconds, Alexander was lying on the ground, his sword a few feet away.

"That was good." Achilles allowed, kicking the sword back toward his young opponent. "Try again."

Alexandra couldn't stand and watch any longer, she had her own opponent to worry about. She took advantage of the fact that Odysseus was still focused on Alexander and Achilles, and made her move.

She lasted a few seconds longer than her brother had, but only a few. The next few hours were a blur of attacking and defending, swinging and parrying. Neither twin came close to beating their opponent, but they did manage to last longer, and eventually Odysseus announced that they had done enough for one day.

"Eat and rest." He instructed. "Practice against each other tomorrow, we will be in council with Agamemnon. After tomorrow, be prepared to march on Troy at any time."

The twins nodded, neither having the breath to answer aloud.

* * *

A/N: There you go, now review and tell me how you liked it. Again, I'm open to any suggestions on what to do next. I'm going to try to get one more chapter in before I go on vacation, but I'm not making any promises. 


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